Ignition device for internal combustion engines

ABSTRACT

An ignition device for an internal combustion engine comprising a timing member for providing an output which is a function of the angular position of the crank shaft or of the position of a piston in a cylinder of the engine, a pulse generator for turning the timing member on and off and a switching transistor connected to the pulse generator for coupling the ignition transformer of the engine to a source of d.c. voltage. The switching frequency of the transistor is determined by the pulse generator to control the start, end and duration of the period in which ignition energy is produced.

1 nited States Patent 1191 Callies et al.

[ Dec. 16, 1975 1 IGNITION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL 3,636,936 1/1972 Schuette 123/148 E COMB S ENGINES 3,779,226 12/1973 Canup 123/148 E 3,791,364 2/1974 Saita 123/148 E [75] Inventors: Dieter Callies, Jugenheim; Gunter Frank; Siegbert Graf vom Hagen,

. Prtmary Examzner-Char1es J. Myhre both of Benshelm an of Germany Assistant Examiner-Ronald B. Cox [73] Assignee: Kyberna GmbH, Germany Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stevens, Davis, Miller & 22 Filed: Aug. 20, 1973 Mosh [21] Appl. No.: 389,516 [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Applicatiun Priority Data An lgnition device for an internal cornbustlon engine comprlsmg a timlng member for providing an output Aug. 21, 1972 Austria 7180/72 Which is a f i of the angular position of the Mar. 6, 1973 Austria 1982/73 Crank shaft or Of the position of a piston in a Cylinder of the engine, a pulse generator for turning the timing [52] US. C1 123/148 E; 123/148 OC member on and Off and a Switching transistor [51] Int. Cl. F02? 1/00 nected to the pulse genflator for coupling the ignition [58] Field of Search 123/148 E, 148 OC transformer of the engine to a Source of vohage The switching frequency of the transistor is deter- [56] References cued mined by the pulse generator to control the start, end UNITED STATES PATENTS and duration of the period in which ignition energy is 3,489,129 1/1970 Issler 123/148 E Producei 3,593,696 7/1971 Guido 1 123/148 E 3,626,910 12/1971 Porsche 123/148 E 24 Clams 27 Drawmg Flgures H I U 2. 8 DC VOLTAGE FILTER TRAN sroRMER CURRENT VOLTAGE REGULATOR REGULATOR 3 1?;

FlL lER I I 116 4 102 e s 1 1 i i TIMING G IGNITION H 1112111 51251 MEMBER H 11111111111 PULSE l l GENERATOR 12913(1) I I 1 I l I 46 45 1.4 1.3 1.2

U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet2of2l 3,926,557

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US. Patent Dec.'16, 1975 Sheet50f21 3,926,557

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v 310 [1] H H" mm mm [mm ml] Hm US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 18 of 21 3,926,557 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A CRANK SHAFT AND A CYLINDER CONTAINING A PISTON, AN IGNITION DEVICE COMPRISING: A. AN IGNITION TRANSFORMER, B. A TIMING MEMBER FOR PROVIDING AN OUTPUT WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE POSITION OF SAID PISTON IN SAID ENGINE CYLINDER, C. A PULSE GENERATOR, COUPLED TO SAID TIMING MEMBER, INCLUDING AN ASTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR HAVING FIRST AND SECOND NAND GATES EACH HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUTS AND AN OUTPUT A FIRST INVERTED AND A FIRST CAPACITOR COUPLED BETWEEN THE FIRST INPUT OF SAID FIRST NAND GATE AND THE SECONDS INPUT OF SAID SECOND NAND GATE, SECOND AND THIRD INVERTERS AND A SECOND CAPACITOR COUPLED BETWEEN THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND NAND GATE ANND THE SECOND INPUT OF SAID SECOND NAND GATE, FIRST AND SECOND RESISTORS COUPLED BETWEEN THE INPUT OF SAID FIRST INVERTER AND THE INPUT
 2. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 wherein said pulse generator provides output pulses which have a substantially rectangular shape.
 3. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a d.c. voltage transformer coupled to said source of d.c. voltage, said d.c. voltage transformer increasing the nominal voltage of said d.c. voltage source from about 12 volts to a value within the range of 50 to 100 volts.
 4. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a current regulating unit and a voltage regulating unit coupled between said d.c. voltage source and said ignition transformer.
 5. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a breaker switch coupled to said crank shaft and actuated as a function of said piston position, said breaker switch initiating production of said ignition energy.
 6. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a contact-lens transmitter for initiating the production of said ignition energy.
 7. An ignition device as defined by claim 5 which further comprises a time-delay member coupled to said breaker switch.
 8. An ignition device as defined by claim 6 which further comprises a time-delay member coupled to said contactless transmitter.
 9. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 wherein said ignition transformer is provided with a closed core for magnetic flux.
 10. An ignition device as defined by claim 9 wherein said ignition transformer is a wideband transformer.
 11. An ignition device as defined by claim 10 wherein said ignition transformer has a ferrite core and at least one disk winding on a secondary side.
 12. An ignition device as defined by claim 11 which further includes an un-closed Faraday cage on high-voltage insulation for said ignition transformer.
 13. An ignition device as defined by claim 12 wherein said Faraday cage comprises a layer of graphite sprayed on said high-voltage insulation.
 14. An ignition device as defined By claim 4 wherein said current regulator comprises a plurality of series-connected potentiometers for controlling the output of said regulator as a function of operational and environmental data.
 15. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 wherein said ignition transformer comprises at least two ferrite cores, at least two primary windings surrounding each of said ferrite cores, and a single secondary winding surrounding one leg of each of said ferrite cores, and further comprising winding transistors coupled to each of said primary windings, respectively.
 16. An ignition device as defined by claim 15 wherein the collector of each of said winding transistors is coupled to a corresponding primary winding and the emitters are coupled together; and which further comprises auxiliary transistors coupled in a Darlington circuit, the collector and emitter of each auxiliary transistor being coupled to the collector and base respectively of a corresponding winding transistor, and the bases of said auxiliary transistors being coupled together.
 17. An ignition device as defined by claim 16 wherein a resistor is connected in series with the base of each of the auxiliary transistors associated with said Darlington circuit.
 18. An ignition device as defined by claim 15 wherein the collector of each of said winding transistors is coupled to a corresponding primary winding and the emitters are coupled together; and which further comprises auxiliary transistors having their collectors coupled together and the emitter of each auxiliary transistor coupled to the base of another of said auxiliary transistors; and a plurality of resistors, one end of each of said resistors being coupled to the base of a corresponding winding transistor and the other end to an emitter of one of said auxiliary transistors, said auxiliary transistors providing control power for said winding transistors.
 19. An ignition device as defined by claim 15 wherein each of said ferrite cores is provided with an air gap.
 20. An ignition device as defined by claim 9 wherein the switching frequency of said transistor is in the range of 1 to 20 kilocycles.
 21. An ignition device as defined by claim 5 which further comprises means for suppressing chatter of said breaker switch.
 22. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises an ignition moment transmitter coupled to said timing member, said timing member being provided with a plurality of series-connected potentiometers for determining the duration of said ignition energy as a function of operating and environmental data.
 23. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a speed signal transmitter having an output corresponding to the speed of rotation of said internal combustion engine, a photodiode coupled to said speed signal transmitter, and photoresistive means within said timing member and said pulse generator and optically coupled to said photodiode for controlling said pulse generator as a function of operating and environmental data.
 24. An ignition device as defined by claim 1 which further comprises a d.c. voltage transformer, galvanic separating members and a time-delay member, said galvanic separating member, time-delay member, timing member and pulse generator being supplied by said d.c. voltage transformer. 